It was also part of a consortium which took control of UFC, the Mixed Martial Arts franchise, in 2016.
Silver Lake is one of the world’s leading technology investors, and its partnership with the All Blacks is likely to focus on an attempt to build its digital and media rights strategy, reflecting a similar approach across City Football Group’s portfolio of footballing interests.
Sports insiders said NZR and Silver Lake were also expected to highlight the opportunity to invest the capital raised from the deal in developing the sport further in New Zealand – an approach which could help to ease any domestic concerns about the propriety of selling a commercial stake in an international sporting icon.
Mark Robinson, the NZR chief executive who himself is a former All Black, said in an interview last year that monetising a stake in the union was an option after COVID-19 ravaged its financial reserves.
“We are open to looking at partners who may invest in New Zealand Rugby,” he told the New Zealand Herald in November.
“We’re only at the initial stage of that but there’s clearly a lot of work going on around the world on that.
“It’s only right for us as we look at doing the best possible things for the game and trying to explore all avenues that we investigate something like this.”
Rugby union has, like many other sports, been hammered by the pandemic, with the sport in England being further disrupted this month by fixture postponements.
CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm which made a fortune from investing in Formula One motor racing, is attempting to finalise a deal to buy a substantial stake in the Six Nations to add to its backing of Premiership Rugby.
It is likely to have been among the other parties which examined the potential purchase of a stake in NZR.
At the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, the All Blacks were beaten by England in the semi-finals.
A Silver Lake spokesman declined to comment, while New Zealand Rugby could not be reached for comment.
Source: Sky News
